


hearts only heal after breaking

by Nearly



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 911 Week 2020, Buckley Parents - Freeform, Fluff, Gen, but it gets fixed, i'll add tags as i go, very minor angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nearly/pseuds/Nearly
Summary: Maddie invites her parents to her baby shower. Buck really, really doesn't want to make it a big deal.
Relationships: Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Athena Grant, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Howie "Chimney" Han, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan “Buck” Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 73
Kudos: 266





	1. Rainbow Road

**Author's Note:**

> I know the title doesn't make any sense, I just thought the lyric was cool :/ I'll probably change it later

“Knock, knock,” Eddie’s voice calls cheerfully from the entryway of Buck’s apartment. Chris sits up immediately from where he’d been sprawled half in Buck’s lap on the couch, and looks towards the door. 

“Dad!” he calls happily. Buck grins, sitting up himself and snatching the game controller Chris had dropped before it can fall to the floor. He stands and helps Chris to his feet just as Eddie steps into view. 

“Hey, buddy! How was your day with Buck?” Eddie asks. 

“We played Mario Kart!” Chris announces, and launches into a spiel of how good he’s gotten at beating Rainbow Road—Eddie nods along, shooting Buck a grateful look over his kid’s shoulder. Buck waves him off. 

“Thanks for taking him on such short notice, man,” Eddie says, when Chris pulls away from the hug and wanders off back to the game he’d been playing. “I wouldn’t have sprung him on you if I had known ahead of time.”

“No problem, you know I love that kid,” he answers. He really doesn’t mind; Carla had to rush off because of a family emergency, but it’s Buck’s day off and he had no plans. Between spending the day alone, waiting for Eddie to come by after his shift, or spending the day playing video games with Chris? No contest. He’d choose Chris every time. 

Buck steps past Eddie into the kitchen, heading for the fridge. He shoulders the door open and ducks his head in. His voice comes out muffled from behind the door when he asks, “You guys wanna stay for dinner?” 

“Sure,” Eddie says, “Pizza?” 

“That’s what I was thinking, yeah,” Buck says as he pulls back from the fridge, a couple of sodas in hand. He hands one to Eddie, popping the tab on his own and leaning back to prop himself against the sink. Eddie settles across from him against the island. 

“You and Maddie getting any further on the baby shower planning?” Eddie asks. Buck grins. Mentioning his niece-or-nephew to be never fails to light him up.

“Yeah! I’m still not sure why she didn’t just get Chim to help her, but it’s been fun,” he says, “I finally convinced her to pick a date, so you’ll probably get an invite soon.”

Eddie opens his mouth to respond, but Buck’s phone chooses that moment to chime irritatingly loudly, which distracts them both. He settles instead for taking a sip of his drink and watching, curious and a little nosy, as Buck’s eyes flit over the text. 

“Everything okay?” he asks when Buck frowns, a little crease forming between his eyebrows. 

“Uh, yeah,” Buck mutters distractedly as he types out a response, and then he shoves the phone back in his pocket and offers Eddie a reassuring smile. “Just Maddie. She wants to talk about something, but she said it wasn’t urgent, so I’ll just call her later.” 

“Dad! Buck!” Christopher calls from the couch, before Eddie gets a chance to say anything. “Come play Mario with me!”

Buck laughs quietly as he straightens up from where he was leaning against the counter. 

“We’ve been summoned,” he jokes. Eddie snorts, pushing off the island and leading the way into the living room. Chris hands him a controller the moment he sits, already queueing up Rainbow Road for another go. Buck ruffles Chris’ hair as he flops down on his other side, and grabs the third controller from the coffee table. 

“Think I can beat your dad this time, bud?” Buck asks. 

“Yes,” Chris answers, without hesitation. 

“Hey,” Eddie protests, “I’m not that bad. I beat Buck every time!”

“Only ‘cause he lets you,” Chris says. Eddie gapes at him, and then meets Buck’s eyes over Chris’ head. They blink at each other.

“...I didn’t want to make you look bad,” Buck says, smiling sheepishly. 

“Oh my god,” Eddie laughs, coloured with disbelief, “Are you trying to protect my image? From my  _ kid?”  _

“I already know!” Chris pipes up, “You don’t win so much when we play at home.”

“Shh, don’t tell him that!” Eddie covers Chris’ mouth with his hand, sending the kid into a fit of muffled giggles. 

“I could totally beat you,” Eddie insists. Christopher has gone quiet, but Eddie can feel him grinning beneath his hand. Buck’s eyes light up with a defiant glint.

“Wanna bet?” He challenges. He thinks for a minute, and then says, “Loser pays for the pizza.” 

“You’re on.” 

Eddie slaps his palm into Buck’s and they shake on it. Chris sits up between them, excited by the prospect of watching the two of them fight over Mario Kart. And, of course, the promise of pizza. 

Starting out, Eddie is confident that he can win; he’s beat Buck thousands of times before in these races, even if he was holding back. But he forgets, of course, that Buckley’s are fiercely competitive—and he’s just made this a contest. 

Their first round ends far more quickly than he’s prepared for, and he’s left blinking at the screen as Christopher stifles his laughter beside him. Buck grins at him. 

“Best two out of three?” he offers. Eddie grimaces. 

“Best two out of three,” he agrees.

By the end of the night, Eddie leaves with a drowsy Christopher and a significantly lighter wallet. Buck pats him on the back sympathetically, promising to go easier on him next time, and Eddie just laughs. Next time, he’s sure, he’ll just end up paying for the beer. 


	2. Bowlerama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't like this one but you get it anyway

Hen finds Buck in the locker room, leaned up against the wall. She’s looked all over the station for him, hoping to catch him before their next call, but apparently, he’s been hiding. 

“—I just don’t want to make things weird,” Hen hears, and realizes as she’s a step away from the door that he’s on the phone. 

“No, no, of course I’d be happy to see them,” Buck is saying, “It’s just...a lot. You know that.” 

Who’s he talking to? 

_ “Maddie,” _ he whines, and okay, that answers that question. “We  _ always  _ argue.” 

Hen hates to pry, so she turns to go, hoping he won’t make his escape before she can ask him what she’s been meaning to. She doesn’t want to intrude on a private conversation. 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s why you told me ahead of time, I get it,” Buck mutters, sounding a little bitter. He sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “Alright, yeah. Talk to you later. Love you.” 

Just as Hen is heading for the stairs to the loft, she hears him quietly end the call, and there—that’s her chance. She whirls around, smile growing, to see him stepping out of the locker room. He’s got his head down and his shoulders are a little tense, which makes her wonder what that phone call had been about. Hen always hates seeing him so down. 

“Hey,” she starts, and he startles, jumping back a little with a hand to his chest. 

“Hen!” He exclaims, and then a sheepish smile spreads across his face, “You scared the shit out of me.”

"Didn't think I looked that bad today, Buckaroo," Hen jokes. Buck laughs.

"I just didn't see you," he says.

"Maybe if you picked your head up once in a while, you would've," Hen tilts her head at him, her voice softening, "You alright?" 

"'Course I am," Buck replies easily, "Just baby shower stuff. You know how Maddie gets." 

"That I do," Hen drawls. His deflection isn't entirely convincing, but she's willing to let it drop for now, as long as he'll take her up on her next offer. "I was gonna ask, actually, did you want to come out with me tonight? Karen and I promised Denny bowling, and he's been asking when he's gonna get to see you." 

"Uh, sure," he agrees, looking genuinely pleased at the offer, to her delight, "That sounds fun, Hen." 

"Great! Karen and I can pick you up later, if you want? No need for us both to drive." 

"Yeah, thanks," Buck says. He scrunches his nose up a little and admits, "I'm not too great at bowling, though." 

"Neither am I," Hen chuckles, and gives him a pat on the shoulder, "Karen is gonna win every time, no question." .

"And I'm sure she'll be smug about that forever, right?" 

"Oh, absolutely. I'll swing by at seven?" 

Buck grins, just as the alarm sounds. He bumps shoulders with her gently on the way out and then they're off to the trucks, his tense mood from before nearly forgotten. 

* * *

When Hen pulls into the parking lot of Buck’s building, a few hours after their shift ends, she’s hoping she can manage to brighten his mood up a bit more. She’s not going to ask about the phone call, because it’s not her business, but she’s got Denny on board with making sure Buck has a night of fun—even if he’s as terrible at bowling as he says he is, she knows Denny never fails to cheer him up. The two boys love each other. It’s adorable.

“Hop in,” Hen calls to him, when she spots him making his way over to the car. 

“Hey Denny, Karen,” he greets as he pulls open the side door, sliding in beside Denny in the back. Karen smiles at him in the rearview mirror, watching as he bumps fists with Denny and makes a little explosion noise as he pulls back, fingers splayed. Denny copies him. 

“Hey, Buck,” she replies, “you ready to lose to me tonight?”

Buck smiles. He’s definitely less tense than before, Hen can see that. 

“Absolutely,” he says, and Denny giggles beside him. Karen laughs too, and Hen thinks to herself,  _ this’ll work.  _

She’s right, of course. Buck laughs his way through a handful of games, losing every time. He even challenges Karen to a one-on-one, though Hen suspects that he only does it so he can pay for their fries at the concession stand without one of them protesting. She beats him soundly, and he makes sure to buy extra for Denny. It’s nice. It’s fun. It works. By the time they’re cashing out for their last game and getting ready to head home, Buck is back to his bouncing, bubbly self, relaxed and happy. 

“Thanks, Hen,” he says, quiet and sincere, as they trail out of the bowling alley behind Denny and Karen, “I think I needed this. It was fun.” 

“Anytime, Buckaroo,” Hen answers, “You know I’ve got your back.” 

Buck beams at her, and she thinks,  _ yep, that definitely worked.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drop a comment or come yell at me on [tumblr](https://nearly-writes.tumblr.com/)


	3. Nailed It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to @jewishbucke on tumblr for helping me pun in the title lmao

“They’re your parents, Buck,” Chimney says, because he’s been listening to Buck complain for the past half hour, and at this rate they’re  _ never  _ going to finish building this crib in time to surprise Maddie. “Are they really that bad?” 

“No, it’s not—they’re not—” Buck huffs, screwing his face up as he struggles to find the right words. “They’re not  _ bad.  _ We just…we don’t get along.”

“Does anyone get along with their parents?” Chim jokes. Buck shoots him a glare. 

“It’s different, Chim.”

“How so?” 

“I don’t know, it just  _ is,”  _ Buck groans, “I love them, I do, but if I have to spend more than ten minutes with my father I’m going to go insane.”

He sits back, glaring at the instructions for the IKEA crib they’re trying to put together. Chimney is pretty sure he’s never seen anyone read something  _ angrily,  _ but there’s a first time for everything. 

“They’re staying for a week,” he reminds Buck, cringing when Buck sucks in a breath sharply. 

“I know,” Buck says shortly, and flings the instruction sheet back down. He picks his hammer back up and starts in on the nails on one leg, probably hitting a little harder than necessary. 

“And it’s my first time meeting them,” Chim tries, hoping it might distract Buck from his own internal angst. He eyes the hammer critically, because Buck isn’t paying any real attention to what he’s doing, and it’s getting a little too close to his hand for comfort. 

“I  _ know,” _ Buck mutters, slamming the hammer down and—  _ “Fuck!  _ Ow, ow, shit, I hit my thumb—”

Chim drops his own hammer and scrambles over, reaching out to try to check Buck’s hand himself. Buck is curled around it, muttering strings of curses in a suspiciously choked up voice, like he’s trying not to cry. Chim wouldn’t blame him, honestly, because it probably hurts like a bitch. 

“Hey, hey, let me see,” Chimney coaxes, gently taking Buck’s hand to look it over. 

“This is pathetic, Chim, I’m sorry,” Buck says quietly, hissing lightly when Chimney prods at the already bruising thumb. 

“It’s okay to be upset, Buck,” Chimney says, glancing up at him. 

“No, I know, it’s just…” he sighs, winces as Chim twists his thumb a little, “This is Maddie’s party. And she invited them. It shouldn’t be this big of a deal.” 

“We’ll get through it together, yeah?” Chim offers, and finally lets Buck have his hand back. “You didn’t break it, but you’ll have a hell of a bruise. I’ll get you some ice for it.”

“They’re not as bad as I make them sound,” Buck concedes, as Chimney gets up to root through the freezer for his ice trays. “They just didn’t really…  _ approve  _ of my choices. It’s led to a lot of fights over the years.” 

“So it’s not necessary to be nervous about meeting my pregnant girlfriend’s mother?” Chim asks, coming back with a bit of ice wrapped in a towel, and handing it to Buck to press to his thumb. Buck grins.

“Oh, no, you should definitely be nervous,” he teases. “She’ll love you, but she’ll be ridiculously protective of Maddie first. Try not to take it personally.” 

“That’s comforting,” Chim says, paling slightly. Buck laughs and nudges him in the side, looking a little more laid-back than he’d been before. 

“You said it yourself, man. We can do this. Together,” he promises. “‘Course, it might help if you finish this crib in time.” 

“Right,” Chim drawls, eyeing Buck’s injured hand, “and I guess I’m finishing it myself.” 

“Yep!” Buck agrees brightly. Chimney chuckles and shakes his head, but picks up his hammer nonetheless. Whether or not Buck helps, he’s got a crib to build. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes it's short don't @ me (but drop a comment or yell at me on [tumblr](https://nearly-writes.tumblr.com/))


	4. Kitchen Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like this one for once, crazy

The firestation is quiet, for once. It’s unusual; Bobby is used to the constant chatter of his team, even between the periodic call of the alarm, but today there’s nothing but a low hum of conversation from the table and the hiss of food in the pan in front of him. The problem? Today, Buck is barely talking. 

He’ll chime in with a quip every now and then, just to show he’s paying attention, but otherwise seems lost in his own head. The others don’t seem too fazed by it, which makes Bobby wonder if there’s something going on that he’s not aware of—did something happen? Had he not noticed? 

“Buck, you want to come give me a hand here?” Bobby calls, hoping that giving the kid something to do might help bring him out of whatever funk he’s in. 

“Sure, Cap!” he agrees brightly, but Bobby can see the crack in the mask—something is definitely wrong. Buck hops up. Chimney watches as he stands, and makes eye contact with Bobby from behind Buck. It’s clear he knows what’s up, and his face says,  _ leave it alone.  _

Bobby shoots him a subtle nod to show he got the message. Chim quirks a half smile and turns away, back to the group. 

“Need you to chop some onions for me,” Bobby says, nudging the cutting board a little further down the counter towards Buck. Buck smiles, a little tight around the edges, and gets to work without protest. 

They work quietly together for a few moments, with nothing but the occasional instruction from Bobby passing between them. He wants to know, of course he does, but he refuses to push—if Buck wants to talk about it, he’ll talk about it. Bobby has learned by now that Buck might overshare naturally, but if he  _ really  _ doesn’t want to talk, no amount of prying is going to get him to open up. So Bobby relaxes into the easy, repetitive actions that come with cooking a favourite meal, and hopes it’ll help Buck relax too. 

For a while, that seems to work. Buck still doesn’t say much, but the tense line of his shoulders eases. That is, until talk of the baby shower comes back around. 

“So you’re meeting the parents, Chim,” Eddie says, a little teasing. Chimney grins, but his eyes flick to Buck, just briefly. 

“Uh, yep,” Chim answers, and laughs self-deprecatingly. “Buck’s already briefed me on how much fun  _ that  _ will be.”

Bobby doesn’t pay attention to much more of the conversation; Chim changes the topic fairly quickly, thankfully, but Buck has frozen where he stands with a white-knuckled grip on the knife he’d been using. 

“Buck? You alright?” Bobby asks, watching him carefully. Buck closes his eyes, takes a long, slow breath, and loosens his hold on the knife. 

“I’m fine, Cap,” he answers, blinking his eyes back open. Almost mechanically, he moves back into the motions of chopping onions. It’s a little more aggressive than necessary. 

“You know I love you, right, kid?” Bobby says gently, and Buck stills, startled by the admission.

“Sure I do, Bobby,” he says, and tilts his head, confused. “Why?” 

And, well, Bobby said he wouldn’t push—so he won’t. Instead, he just says, “And you know I’m here for you?”

Buck nods, looking a little concerned about where the conversation is headed. 

“So you know you can tell me anything, whatever you need to. Do you believe me?” Bobby asks, reassuring himself one last time. 

“Yeah, Cap, of course,” Buck says, rather unconvincingly, “It’s—it’s really not a big deal. I’m not gonna make it all about me. Can we just drop it?”

Alright, that’ll do. Bobby knows he’s pushed a little too far already, and if he keeps going the kid will shut him out completely. Whatever is going on—something with his parents, if Bobby read that interaction right—is clearly a bigger deal than Buck wants him to know, but Bobby doesn’t think it would be worth it to press the kid now. 

“Okay,” he concedes, “those onions aren’t going to chop themselves.” 

Buck gives him a hesitant half smile, and then he goes right back to chopping, before sliding the onions off the cutting board into the pan in front of Bobby. They fall back into their rhythm, and it’s only another ten minutes before they’re plating out the meal. 

“Lunch is served!” Bobby calls into the loft, earning a cheer from the rest of the team. Buck catches his arm before he can leave the kitchen completely, carrying a few plates.

“Thanks, Bobby,” he says. It’s quiet, sincere. Bobby smiles. 

“Anytime, kid.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drop a comment :)


	5. Brownie Points

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes this is like a week and a half late, what about it?

_ on my way (1:19 pm) _

_ should I bring something? (1:20 pm) _

The incoming texts ping in rapid succession just as Athena is finishing wiping down the table, and she knows it’s Buck without having to look. She’d invited him over for lunch after his shift, with an ulterior motive in mind—Bobby had come to her last night complaining that something was bothering Buck, but he wouldn’t open up about it. Bobby, being Bobby, hadn’t pushed it. But Athena knows he’s worried, and she’ll admit that she is too; so if he won’t pry it out of Buck, she’ll have to do it herself. Athena drops her cloth back on the counter and wipes off her hands, before reaching for the phone.

_ I’ve got it covered. See you soon :) (1:21 pm) _

She double checks, just to make sure. There’s the chicken salad Buck loves enough to take thirds of, a few beers in the fridge of the kind he likes, and to top it all off—a double batch of brownies, fresh baked, because she knows how to handle a man with a sweet tooth. All in all, the perfect recipe for getting the kid to spill his guts. 

Not even ten minutes later, Athena spots the jeep pulling into her driveway. She finishes up with setting the table for two, and then heads for the door, straightening a cushion on the couch on her way by. She reaches it just as the doorbell rings, and swings it open wide to let Buck in. 

“Hey, ‘Thena,” he greets. She notes that he’s holding a bottle of wine, because even if it’s only lunchtime, Maddie had finally drilled into him that one should never show up empty handed; even if Athena had reminded him there was no need. She smiles warmly at him.

“Come on in.” Athena lets him step past her, closing the door after him and turning to lead him into the house. “How was your shift?”

“Pretty quiet, actually,” Buck answers, as Athena reaches to take the wine from him. “Couple of minor calls, but nothing major.” 

“That’s a first,” Athena jokes. 

It’s small talk, light and easy. Buck launches into a story of a call from an hour or so before, while Athena gets to work dishing out the chicken salad. There’s an undercurrent of tension in his voice, like he knows what she’s really after, but his face lights up when he spots the food so she lets him eat. Lets him talk. And then, when she passes him a beer and he pauses for a sip, she pounces. 

“Alright, Buckaroo, what’s going on?”

Buck chokes on his beer and sputters out a cough. “What?”

“Bobby’s not exactly subtle,” Athena says, “and he’s worried about you. So you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

Buck hesitates. He fidgets with the tab on his beer and avoids her gaze. 

“It’s really nothing, Athena,” he sighs, “my parents are coming to the baby shower, and we don’t have a great track record. That’s all. It’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about.” 

Athena raises an eyebrow at him. “Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that.”

“No, I—ugh,” Buck huffs. “They just weren’t around a lot, when I was a kid. And when they were, we—we just fight, a lot, and I don’t want to ruin Maddie’s party with an argument.” 

“That doesn’t sound like nothing,” Athena says gently. “This is really bothering you, huh?”

Buck sniffles. 

“Oh, honey,” Athena says, and Buck just crumbles. She stands immediately and crosses over to where he’s sitting, trying to hastily wipe away the tears that have started welling up.

“This is stupid, I don’t even know why I’m crying—” 

“Shh, it’s okay, you can cry,” she soothes, pulling him into a hug and tucking his head under her chin. He buries his face into the crook of her neck and holds on, still sniffling, long enough to get himself under control. She holds him close a moment longer, because she knows he’d never admit it but the way he’s clinging to her tells her he’s in dire need of a good hug, and she’ll let him have it. When they finally pull apart, she runs her hands through his hair one last time, giving him a soft smile. Buck returns it, a little shaky, as he scrubs the last of his tears away. 

“I love my parents, ‘Thena, really,” he assures her, “I just don’t _like_ them very much.”

Athena laughs, which brightens Buck’s smile slightly, and shakes her head ruefully as she crosses back over to her side of the table. 

“Trust me, Buckaroo, I know the feeling.” She slides back into her seat across from him, settles in, and then says, “Now, I think this is something you should be talking to Maddie about, isn’t it?” 

“Athena…” he groans. 

“Buck,” Athena says, fixing him with a pointed look. “Talk to Maddie.” 

They lock eyes across the table for a moment, a silent standoff. And then Buck’s mouth twists bitterly, and he backs down. 

“Okay,” he says. 

“Promise?” Athena asks cheekily, pulling out her ‘mom voice’—as Harry once called it—because that never fails with this kid. He rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, I promise.” 

“Alright,” she says, turning to reach for the plate of brownies on the counter, “in that case, you look like you need one of these.”

The way Buck grins as he reaches for the plate makes the extra effort she’d put into lunch that afternoon entirely, completely worth it. 


	6. Pinky Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...this is so short...it's literally just a Buck and Maddie conversation there's nothing else here

“I’m not going,” Buck announces, because he’s never exactly been known for being subtle. 

“What?” Maddie asks. She whirls around from where she’d been reaching in his cupboards for a glass, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“The baby shower,” he clarifies. 

“...You’re not coming to my baby shower,” Maddie says flatly. She means it as a question, sort of, but it comes out like a statement. Buck looks away from her, staring down at his hands instead, where they rest on his kitchen island. He tangles his fingers together, again and again. 

“I know I helped plan it and everything, but I think you’ve got it covered now—”

“What the hell, Evan?”

“I don’t want to make things awkward, Maddie.” 

He glances up again, catches her narrowed gaze, and grimaces. She sets the glass down, reaching for the water pitcher. She’s quiet as she pours herself a glass, takes a sip, and then purses her lips. 

“So you think,” she says, “that avoiding them altogether is going to make it better?”

“Well, yeah,” Buck replies. Maddie takes another sip. 

“Buck—” she starts, but Buck cuts her off.

“No, listen, Mads,” he says, tangling his fingers together again, tugging them apart. “Dad and I always fight. Mom and I aren’t much better. You  _ know  _ that. And this is your party.”

Maddie sighs, gathering herself to reply, but Buck barrels on before she can say a word. 

“It’s your party, and I know it’s important to you that they’re coming because they’re meeting Chim for the first time, which is a big deal! So I don’t—I don’t want to ruin the whole thing by arguing with them, because it’s supposed to be about you, not me, and if I go then we’re going to argue and it’s going to be weird for everyone and I think it’s just—I think it’s just better if I…don’t go.” 

He trails off towards the end, looking unsure of himself. He sucks in a breath and catches his lip between his teeth, worrying at it, until Maddie sighs again and sets her glass down, her gaze softening. 

“Buck,” she says, “are you  _ planning  _ on starting a fight at my baby shower?”

Buck reels back, mildly offended. “Of course not!”

“Okay.” Maddie shrugs. “Then it’s their fault if they start one. And it’ll be them ruining my party, not you.”

“That really doesn’t make me feel any better,” Buck whines. Maddie snorts.

“Worth a try,” she says. “But really, they love you, even when you fight. I know you know that. And it’s the same with me, but I still want them there. And I want you there too.” 

“Maddie…” 

“You really want to leave me to deal with them on my own?”

“You’ve got Chim—”

“You know that’s not the same.” Maddie leans forward and grabs Buck’s hands, stopping his nervous fidgeting. “Please, Buck? I want you to be there.”

Buck frowns and bites at his lip again. He doesn’t answer. Maddie switches tactics again, pulling one hand away from Buck’s to stick her pinky out like they did when they were kids. 

“Come on,” she coaxes, “we can handle mom and dad. Better together, right?” 

“...Okay,” Buck finally relents, letting a smile slip through as he reaches up to link his pinky finger with hers. “But only ‘cause you asked so nicely.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” Maddie jokes. Buck rolls his eyes good-naturedly and releases her hand, so he can reach for his phone.

“Alright, you got what you wanted, Mads,” he says, “Now, lunch?”

Maddie grins brightly. “Chinese? I’ve got a craving for chow mein.”


	7. An (Un)expected Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we've done it folks, this is the end!! this took way too long but I like how it turned out

The day of the baby shower rolls around, and Buck is tense, to say the least. He tries to take his mind off of it, spending the morning helping Maddie set up the decorations and prepare the food for a late lunch—she keeps him busy, because she knows what happens when he gets a few too many moments to get lost in his own head. 

It’s fine. It’s fine. His parents aren’t showing up until later that afternoon, so he’ll have his friends by his side before they even arrive, and he knows Maddie will stay close like she always does. If everything goes to plan, they’ll focus on Chimney and leave Buck alone; he’ll be polite, he’ll say hello, and then he’ll fade into a corner and try not to make a scene. It’s fine. 

“Buck,” Maddie calls from the other end of the room, “can you grab some more napkins? They’re in the back closet.” 

“Yeah,” Buck calls back distractedly, putting the last of the plates he’d been carrying down on the buffet table they’d set up. He heads back for the napkins, finding them after a rummage in the closet. He can’t stop himself from fiddling with the edges as he carries them out, and by the time he’s made it back to the table the top of the stack is a mess of ripped paper and rolled corners. 

Maddie eyes the stack as he sets them down, raising an eyebrow. “What’d those napkins do to you?”

Buck cringes and reaches over, swiping the first few wrecked napkins back and shoving them in his pocket sheepishly. Maddie sighs and tilts her head to look at him, mouth curving into a small, barely noticeable frown. 

“Hey,” she says gently, reaching out to put a hand on his elbow, “there’s nothing to worry about, okay? It’s just mom and dad. I’ll keep them off your back.”

“I don’t want you to be looking out for me the whole time, Mads,” Buck says. “You should be having fun, protecting Chim from mom’s intense rounds of twenty questions or something. I don’t know.” 

“I can keep an eye on both of you,” Maddie says, “Really, my house isn’t that big. There aren’t many places to hide.”

“Seriously, I can handle myself,” Buck assures her, though his smile is a little bit forced. “I’ll just...stick with Eddie. That’ll work.”

“Right…” Maddie drawls, “I’m sure you’ll have fun with that.”

Buck’s cheeks burn, and he glares at her.  _ “Maddie.” _

She just laughs. The doorbell rings before he can say anything else, and she sobers up just enough to go answer the door. She opens it wide for Eddie, Hen, and Karen, all at once. 

She welcomes them in and throws a conspiratorial wink over her shoulder at Buck when Eddie makes a beeline for him. Buck narrows his eyes at her.

“You okay, man?” Eddie asks, throwing a confused glance between him and Maddie. Buck brightens immediately and shakes his head. 

“Totally cool,” he says, and reaches for the wrapped gift Eddie is carrying. “I can put that with the others, if you want.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Eddie agrees. He still looks mildly confused, but tosses one last glance at Maddie—now pointedly ignoring them—and shrugs it off. Buck takes the box from his hands and makes his escape towards the gift pile. 

The others arrive slowly. For a while, the party is nice; his friends arrive, and Buck spends half the afternoon surrounded by the people who make him feel comfortable, wanted. Chim unveils the crib they’d built together, and Maddie damn near cries. She tells them, over and over again, how beautiful she thinks it is. Buck catches her stroking the varnished wood softly more than once. 

His parents don’t arrive until just before the group breaks for cake, a nice one that Bobby had ordered from a posh bakery downtown. Maddie shoots him a reassuring look as she stands to answer the door, and Eddie shuffles a little bit closer on the couch. 

There’s no fanfare. No raised voices or pointed looks. They say hello, they congratulate Maddie, they interrogate Chimney but admit they like him in the end—just like Buck had promised they would.

It's anticlimactic, really. By the time the party is drawing to a close, Buck has yet to say more than two words to his parents, and he's starting to feel a little silly about it—even so, he thinks it's better to have been safe than sorry. He stands off to the side as the others say their goodbyes, trying to keep quiet and out of the way.

"So, I hear you're a firefighter these days," he hears, and bristles instantly. His dad's voice has that effect on him. Really, he thought he'd avoided this—talking about his life, what he's doing, how disappointed his father must be—but clearly he just can’t catch a break.

"It's certainly unexpected," his dad says.

"Dad…" Buck starts cautiously. 

"....it's not the career path  _ I  _ would've chosen—" his dad continues, like Buck hadn't even spoken. Buck can see Maddie eyeing them from across the room.

_ "Dad."  _ Buck says again, more sharply, because he doesn't want to hear the end of that sentence. He doesn't want to get angry, start a scene, not now when the party is so close to over, so close to letting him escape this and go back to sporadic birthday cards and the occasional voicemail.

"—but I'm proud of you," his dad finishes, and Buck just gapes at him, drawing a blank, because  _ what.  _ That's not—that’s not something his dad says. It's never been something his dad says. Buck was expecting a fight, a jab at his career or the choices he's made. He wasn't prepared for  _ this _ . 

"You're doing something good, son," his dad says, and claps a hand on his shoulder briefly. "I respect that." 

And then his hand falls and he leaves Buck standing there by the buffet table, staring after him, trying to put the puzzle pieces together in his own head. 

"You alright, Buck?" Maddie asks, sidling a little closer to him. She must've wandered over while he was dealing with his dad, but he doesn't know how much she heard. He blinks furiously, trying to clear the sheen of surprised tears that had overtaken him.

"...Yeah," he says after a second, flashing her a small smile. "Yeah I think...I think I'm okay." 

**Author's Note:**

> drop a comment, tell me what you think, you can find me on tumblr


End file.
